Simple Complexities
by Coka
Summary: They finally gather the courage to confess and everything is, for once, going smoothly in the lives of the trepid Storm Hawks - seriously, how long is that going to last? 'Aerrow/Piper'
1. If Only

**This is my first story (eek!). Please R&R and give me any tips on what I can do next time. Thanks!**

Maybe there is a tiny chance between us. Just a slim chance. We're not that different. I mean we're both loyal and good-hearted and focused completely on what we do best. In my case fighting the Cyclonians and protecting the Atmos while she conducts plans and experiments with crystals.

Every time I see her, my heart beats at least twice its normal rate, I swear I go as red as my hair if not redder! The way her eyes sparkle and skin glows in the setting sun, she's so unique. Her beauty radiates off of her in waves of gloriousness, she's oblivious to what she is doing to me.

* * *

I wish he knew how I felt. It would take a load of my mind. But every time I try and tell him, something important whisks him away. Its like the universe doesn't want this to happen. I don't blame him though, he is a Sky Knight after all but that just makes it all the more difficult.

I dream of him at night, with his scruffy red hair which I adore so much, and his emerald eyes glistening as he tells me the words I long so very much to hear. He would hold me close and we would stay like that for what seemed forever, then he would sweep me off my feet and passionately take my lips with his, claiming them as his own. But, then the cruel world would stir me from my peaceful slumber and wake me to the harsh reality; he would never love me, he would never sweep me off of my feet, we would never take me and kiss me like that. I would cry into my pillow, facing the truth. It hurt so bad.

* * *

I long to tell her how I truly feel, how I have truly felt for the past few years. Every time I get close to even bringing up something related to the subject, I see those amber eyes and the realisation hits me. I stutter and mumble something about skimmers or something like that and walk off. It breaks my heart everyday to think that something like this would never happen.

I mean, she'd never fall in love with someone like me. My hairs always a mess, I'm always on missions and….well….it's impossible. She probably doesn't have a clue about it.

In my sleep, I see those eyes staring into my soul, I feel her hands around my waist, I feel the passion when her lips brush against mine. But it's only a dream, and dreams hardly ever come true. I would tell that to myself over and over again but, every time I do so, my love for her just grows and grows. I want to be the person that's always there for her, when she needs a shoulder to cry on, when she wants to have some company, when she needs a friend by her side. I want to be there, I _need_ to be there. I can't live without her. I would die for her, I would do the impossible for her, I would conquer the universe for her.

If only she knew, if only.

* * *

I feel so horrible, he deserves to know, yet I cannot seem no summon up the courage to tell him. It's so simple, but so hard. If my legs turn to jelly every time I hear his name, I don't know how I would face him to tell him that I love him.

I have to get my mind straight. Like he'd ever love me. Look at me! I'm not in the slightest bit pretty, my hair is horrible and my eyes are so weird. I need him to survive though, I'd suffer without him. I just want to snuggle into his chest, hear his heartbeat and know that he loves me. I want to look into those eyes, those beautiful emerald eyes, and know he feels the same way that I do.

But every day, that thought seems to go further and further away, soon to be out of reach. Why can't it go my way? I just want him. I want to wake and feel the blissful feeling of knowing that he is mine. I would be so lucky.

If only he knew, if only.


	2. Accidental

**I've decided to continue the story since so many people were asking me to. Sorry about it being a bit short, I was pushed for time. I hope it'll turn out ok! Please R&R and let me know what you think! The song used was No One by Alicia Keys.**

It was nearing midnight and the moon was shining brightly while flooding the entire Atmos in it's wonderful light. There were no clouds in the sky, letting the many bright, white stars twinkle and shimmer. A small carrier ship was quietly flying towards an unknown destination. It bore a circular hawk shape logo on the hull, dark blue in colour. Outside the bridge, on the balcony, stood a lone girl.

She was wearing thick trousers and a woollen jumper to protect her from the bitter coldness that swept over the ship. Her deep blue hair was down for once and loose around her shoulders, blowing this way and that, courtesy of the wind. Her amber eyes were relaxed and her soft brown skin reflected the moonlight, making her seem to glow in the most beautiful way. Her arms were folded tightly into her chest, preventing as much warmth as possible from escaping. A cold wind whipped around her and a chill travelled up her spine causing her to shiver. Little did she know she was being watched.

She leant forward onto the rail and let her mind wander. She remembered a song she was listening to earlier on that day and started to hum the tune. Slowly she began to sing.

_I just want you close  
Where you can stay forever  
You can be sure  
That it will only get better_

_You and me together  
Through the days and nights  
I don't worry 'cause  
Everything's going to be alright_

Her watcher was held in enchantment. Her voice was beautiful, it was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. He was sure he was blushing at this. He wouldn't be surprised if he was a deeper shade of red than his hair.

_People keep talking  
They can say what they like  
But all I know is  
Everything's going to be alright_

_No one, no one, no one  
Can get in the way of what I'm feeling  
No one, no one, no one  
Can get in the way of what I feel for you, you ,you  
Can get in the way of what I feel for you_

The girls foot started to tap the ground with a steady beat and soon her hips were swaying as she sung.

_When the rain is pouring down  
And my heart is hurting  
You will always be around  
This I know for certain_

_You and me together  
Through the days and nights  
I don't worry 'cause  
Everything's going to be alright_

_People keep talking  
They can say what they like  
But all I know is  
Everything's going to be alright_

The boy watcher was mesmerised by her delicate and gentle movements, it amplified her beauty so much. His emerald eyes took in every detail possible, sweeping over her body and curves.

_No one, no one, no one  
Can get in the way of what I'm feeling  
No one, no one, no one  
Can get in the way of what I feel for you, you, you  
Can get in the way of what I feel for _

_I know some people search the world  
To find something like what we have  
I know people will try, try to divide something so real  
So till the end of time I'm telling you there ain't no one_

_No one, no one, no one  
Can get in the way of what I'm feeling  
No one, no one, no one  
Can get in the way of what I feel for you, you, you  
Can get in the way of what I feel for you_

She trailed off still singing under her breath. Her movements decreased to a minimum as she started to gaze into the black abyss that surrounded her. The boy wanted so very much to say something, to compliment in some way but he found nothing. He was too scared of what might happen. They're such good friends. What if it went wrong? He couldn't risk it, he just couldn't. He sighed and turned to return to his sleeping quarters.

The girl swore she heard something, yet when she turned around there was nothing there. Another shiver down her body persuaded her that she was going to catch pneumonia if she stayed outside for much longer. She slowly turned and walked in the welcoming warmth of the bridge, still singing under her breath.

* * *

The next morning, a huge crash woke her from her dreamless sleep and her eyes snapped open as if they were blinds. Groaning, she rolled over and fell out of bed. The boy, hearing the thump emitting from his team mate's room, knocked on her door to see if she was ok. "Come in." was the muffled moan he heard. Opening the door a tiny bit, he stuck his head around to see what was going on. He saw the girl on the floor rolled up in her duvet. She was clutching her head and groaning in discomfort. A flush of pink entered his cheeks before quickly retreating again.

"You ok Piper?" he asked in worry. She looked up at him and groaned again.

"Yes, I'll be fine, I just fell out of bed. What was that loud crash?" Piper questioned while trying to get up. She failed miserably so she just lay on the floor looking up at Aerrow. "Uh, Aerrow? Are you OK?" Aerrow was staring at Piper but he came back to his senses as soon as he heard his name.

"Oh yeah, right, yeah, whatever." he replied quickly. Piper swore she saw a touch of pink enter his pale cheeks but it was gone as soon as it came. "That was Finn. He crashed into a bucket, spilt water everywhere, slid on that and tripped over a mop. He was chasing Radarr." Piper rolled her eyes.

"Hair gel situation again?". Aerrow nodded . Piper sighed as she rolled over. "You tell Finn that if he doesn't pack this in, he's going to get a seriously bad butt-kicking from moi." Aerrow chuckled at her comment. "I hate this duvet! It just won't get off me!" Piper fumed as she thrashed about in her white prison.

"Hold on. I'll help." Aerrow said as he entered the room. He knelt down on the floor and started to untangle the duvet. The flowing material slowly began to free itself and Piper was able to move. They suddenly noticed how close they were and the current position they were in; Piper lying on the floor with only part of the duvet now covering her and Aerrow knelt down leaning over her. She was wearing a plain white t-shirt and pale blue shorts while Aerrow wore a shirt and loose grey trousers.

Piper could feel Aerrow's breath tingle on contact with her lips and Aerrow could see Piper was starting to blush. He leant down and whispered something in her ear. "You sing beautifully." his hair tickling the side of Pipers face as he said so.

"T-Thank you." Piper stuttered. "It was you…". Aerrow nodded meekly before placing one of his fingers on Pipers lips, silencing her. He leant over and brushed the hair out of her face. He gazed into her amber spheres before saying anything.

"You have beautiful eyes…" he whispered before he leant in over her. He was about to brush her lips with his when they heard whistling coming from the hallway. Both of them turned to look at the door realising it had been left open. Their eyes widened as they started to panic they knew it was too late to do anything. Unless by some miraculous event did the person just walk by the door without glancing or even looking in the room, they knew this was going to be the talk of the day and most possibly the rest of the month.

Aerrow silently begged to himself _'Please not Finn, please not_ _Finn!'._ The whistling had stopped and a pair of big sapphire blue eyes were staring into the room. _'Great'_ he thought to himself, _'He's never going to let this go.'._

"Dude, what are you doing?" Finn asked curiously, a smile spreading across his face. Aerrow searched his mind for something to say. He glanced at Finn and back at the floor and then suddenly looked straight at Finn. His expression was totally readable. His smile turned into an uncontrollable grin and Aerrow started to get to his feet.

"Say one thing and you-"

"GUYS! LOOKIE WHAT I FOUND!!" Finn bellowed at the top of his voice, attracting the attention of all the Storm Hawks. Aerrow looked at Piper with OMG-I'm-going-to-kill-him look on his face but when he turned around, he noticed that Finn had disappeared. Sprinting out of Piper's room, he caught a glimpse of the blonde turning a corner, leading to the Bridge. Using all the energy he had, he rounded the corner and burst down the hall after the blonde, desperate to stop him. He wasn't going to make it, Finn was nearly there. A few seconds later, Finn burst onto the bridge, gasping for air distracting the occupants in the room from their previous tasks. Stork and Junko looked at him, waiting for him to start. He coughed and began to speak really quickly. "You'll never guess what I saw, I sa-" but he was cut off my Aerrow hurling himself through the door and landing on top of him. He grabbed Finn and proceeded to drag the struggling teen back out of the bridge. Aerrow's hand was covering his mouth, making it impossible to talk. As they left the room, Stork mumbled something about 'Mind Worms' and how they should all be tested even though there was no real cure.

Hauling Finn through the doors, Aerrow picked him up off of the floor and pinned him against the wall. This rage was a side of Aerrow he had never seen before. "If you so much as mutter one word as to what you saw in there, so help me I'll hunt you down and kick you ass." growled Aerrow with a tone of ferocity that Finn had never heard before. His emerald green eyes were filled with anger and Finn could see this was no joke. "Am I clear?" he hissed. Finn nodded in fear and as the anger retreated from his eyes, he felt it was safe to talk again.

"Hey bro." Aerrow responded by turning and looking Finn in the eye, "Sorry. I Didn't mean to do it. Just came over me."

"Don't worry Finn." Aerrow said, smiling. "It's probably Piper you should apologize to though."

"Dude! Every time I try to apologize for something to Piper I get like stuck hanging from the ceiling or dangling off the condor!" Aerrow laughed as all the times when that had happened flooded back to him. "You know, you could shut the door next time, that's kinda what they mean when they say 'Get a Room'."


	3. The Past

**Thanks to everyone who R&R! It helps me a lot and its good to know that I am doing well. Here's the third chapter, hope you enjoy! Don't forget to click the pretty purple button at the end. You know you want to.**

After his little 'conversation' with Finn, Aerrow had felt like he had had all of his energy drained from him. He dragged himself to his room and flopped onto the hard mattress of his bed, lying there in silence for several minutes. Groaning, he turned his body over so he was more comfortable and staring at the ceiling. Tiredness took over his eyes, and they began to close over, blocking out the world. His red hair fell over his face and began to move up and down as the air from his mouth played with it. Very soon he was in a deep sleep and snoring lightly as his mind explored the dream world.

"_Well? What do you say?" A young read-headed teen seemed very excited about something, his emerald eyes were filled with eagerness. He was only around fourteen, yet he was very strong for a person of his age._

"_I don't know Aerrow…I mean, aren't we a bit too young?" A small, slender girl was standing with her arms folded and looking at he boy with worry in her amber eyes. _

"_I've already passed the trials Piper. I'm an official Sky Knight! And I want to form a squadron, besides, you'd be perfect. Your great with crystals and stuff, plus you know tonnes of tactics and your brilliant at forming plans. So? Will you join the Storm Hawks?". Piper wanted to. She wanted to say yes, she wouldn't be able to take one day without seeing those beautiful eyes or that gorgeous hair. She had lost her family, and Aerrow had lost his as well. There was nothing to lose, maybe except her life if she was foolish. But she wasn't like that. She pulled herself out of her deep thought and answered the question. _

"_Ok! I'm in!" Piper beamed happily. Aerrow rushed over and hugged her tightly. Piper hoped her blushing cheeks weren't visible through her dark skin. He broke away with a huge smile plastered across his face, oblivious to the rush of giddiness he had caused for Piper._

"_Great! Thank you Piper! Welcome to the Storm Hawks!" thanked Aerrow great fully. Piper was still smiling but a small frown appeared on her head._

"_What about the rest of the team though? We can't do it with just two people!" Piper questioned. However, Aerrow was already prepared._

"_Don't worry, I've got it covered already." Piper raised her eyebrow and thought to her self 'He's really going through with this, huh.'. Aerrow carried on without pausing for breath. "I've already asked Finn to join and he came no problem, a Merb called Stork has become our pilot - I just said 'Condor' and he was in - and of course Radarr's coming with us, I don't know what I would do without him sometimes, and you know that Wallop that Finn's always hanging around with? I think he's called Junko, well Finn asked him to come and he said he would be happy to!" _

"_The Condor? I thought that got destroyed when…you know…your Dad…" Piper said carefully, not _

_wanting to hurt Aerrow's feelings. Unfortunately, it didn't come out the way it was supposed to. Aerrow suddenly lost his cheery state and became sullen. His shoulders slumped, his emerald eyes that were usually shining with mischief were now empty and his hair was drooping over his face. "Aerrow? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to mention him." she whispered placing a hand on his shoulder. A small tear ran down his cheek. "I bet if he was here right now, he would be so proud of you. I know he would be." she said, leaning towards his ear so he could hear more clearly. Aerrow looked up into her eyes and smiled. It was small, but still a smile. He wiped the tears from his face and proceeded to answer the question. _

"_Uh, the Condor…umm…oh! It was still in one piece down in the wastelands so they recovered it and brought it back. Apparently, it was left to me in my Dad's will. I don't know what happened to the pilot though." Aerrow appeared lost in thought for a moment before continuing. "Anyway, I've kept the Condor all these years and I've been doing her up. I've got rid of most of the scratches, repainted the Storm Hawks logo, replaced some of the engine parts and refurnished the rooms!"._

"_That's so great Aerrow! I'm so glad you've done this." Piper exclaimed in excitement. "I have to go now, I've agreed to meet with some other friends but I'll see you later?"_

"_Yeah. Bye!" Aerrow waved as she walked down the road. He wondered if he was getting any closer to telling her how he feels for her._

"Aerrow…Aerrow…AERROW!". A loud shout brought him back to the real world. "Dude, it's only 3'o clock and you're already snoozing. Come on! Get up!". Forcing his eyes open, he saw Finn leaning over him. "Finally, he's awake."

"What's the rush? Is something wrong?" Aerrow questioned, suddenly more alert.

"Yes, something is wrong!" he shouted back causing Aerrow to cover his ears.

"Are we under attack?" He asked, sitting up.

"No, Piper's hogging the music again!" he moaned while Aerrow raised his eyebrow. Sighing he got up and told Finn to only disturb him again when it was something really important. He responded to this by complaining that he was their leader and he was not meant to be snoozing on the job. _'He has a point.' _Aerrow thought to himself as he made his way to the bridge. He heard Piper's soothing music from the other side of the door. "Look Finn, just let Piper play her music for now, please?". Finn grumbled a distorted yes in reply and then muttered on to say 'Just because she's your girlfriend.'. Fortunately, Aerrow did not hear this last comment.

He walked through the door with a bounce in his step, feeling a lot better after his rest. "Hey, look who's finally up!" laughed Piper while studying charts. Since no one was acting different, Aerrow guessed Finn had kept quiet about the 'thing'. He walked over to Piper and discreetly brushed her hand with his. He saw her cheeks flush with pink and she bit her lip nervously, a smile playing on her lips.

"What you doing?" he asked, touching her shoulder lightly with his. He saw Finn out of the corner of his eye grinning, his eyes darting from the floor to the two Storm Hawks while he was pretending to listen to music on his MP3.

"Oh, I'm just checking out where we're going to go next." she replied casually. Aerrow could see Finn going mad with silent laughter.

"So, where are we going?" he asked again, this time fiddling with her fingers under the table.

"Well, I was thinking, since there is no danger and no distress anywhere nearby, we all thought we would go to Tropica!" Piper said with a giggle in her voice as Aerrow tickled her palm. She smiled and looked into his eyes.

"TROPICA!" shouted Finn and Junko with glee while jumping up and down like little kids (or little girls to be more exact) distracting Aerrow and Piper from their moment. They both started dancing around the bridge listing of their favourite stuff there.

While everyone was distracted, Aerrow took the chance to whisper something into Piper's ear. "Meet me in the hangar in five minutes and we may finish what we started…" he said, his lips tickling her earlobes. She blushed as he turned and walked out of the bridge, a small smile creeping onto her face again.

Four minutes later, she rolled up her maps and put them back in the storage cupboard. She calmly walked out the door and set off down to the hangar. She sped up inconsiderably as she rounded the corner that led into the hangar. As she walked in, someone jumped out behind her and grabbed her around the middle. "Gotcha!" he laughed as she let out a little scream of surprise.

"Aerr-" she started but before she could say anything, Aerrow had taken her lips with his and gently kissed her. Piper let herself be pulled into the kiss and made it deeper by taking her arms and bringing them around his neck. He wrapped his around her waist, pulling her in closer. Suddenly, they both felt dizzy after realising they had had no oxygen for several minutes. Breaking apart, they gasped for air, still looking into each others eyes. "Nice flirting earlier on." she complimented. "If we were alone I would have kissed you senseless." she purred with a spark in her eyes, stroking his cheek gently. Aerrow smiled and touched her nose with his. With their foreheads brushing against one another, he chose this moment to speak.

"I've liked you for a long time Piper." he whispered. "This is how I would always imagine it to be." he said, kissing her lightly on the lips. He pulled her close and gazed into her amber eyes.

She pushed forward to meet the kiss and made it deeper. Aerrow's tongue ran along her lower lip, begging for entrance which she granted easily. Aerrow gently pushed her backwards, so she was against the wall and Piper didn't protest. "You taste like chocolate." he whispered as he pulled away gently, a small whimper escaping from the girl. Aerrow pulled her in again and wrestled with Piper's tongue. This is everything they had ever wanted, and they weren't going to let anything get in the way. Aerrow ran his fingers through her midnight blue hair, gazing into her seducing amber eyes. He was hers forever and nothing was going to change it.

"Ah, look at the little lovebirds. I hope I'm not interrupting anything important!" a voice rang about the hangar and Aerrow pulled away immediately and looked into the shadows.

"No…" he whispered as a form appeared from them.


	4. Falling

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while, been really busy. Please R&R!**

"Dark Ace…" Aerrow muttered under his breath, a deep dark look overtaking his blissful face he had just moments ago.

"Good to see you haven't forgotten about me. It's been a while, hasn't it, Sky Knight." The Dark Ace laughed before unsheathing his double bladed sword. It began to crackle with a deep red energy, almost the same colour as it's owner's eyes. "It appears that I have the upper hand." he added, approaching the two Storm Hawks. Aerrow could feel Piper begin to shake against him. He couldn't blame her; they were defenceless against a armed man who shows no mercy. _'_Great' he thought. Aerrow formed a plan and gently pushed her behind him, placing himself in between her and The Dark Ace.

Making up his mind he turned to Piper. "Go back to the bridge, warn the others of what is happening." he said quickly, not wanting to waste time. Her eyes shone with worry.

"What about you?" she asked, still trembling.

"I'll be fine. Just go!" he shouted as he pushed himself and her out of the way of the fast incoming blade. It missed them by mere centimetres, and left a long mark in the wall. Frustrated, Dark Ace growled and took his weapon again, facing the young teen. He noted that the girl had already disappeared, most likely to the bridge and they were in the hangar, alone. "Ah. Dark Ace! How nice it is to see you again." Aerrow said, sarcasm dripping in his voice. He began to edge around the room, towards the skimmers. "I hate to cut this meeting short but I have to be somewhere." he said as he leapt onto his skimmer and shot out of the hangar, into the pale blue sky. The Dark Ace scowled and ran to his skimmer which was still where it was when he had arrived.

Revving the engines, he pulled out of the carrier ship and opened the Talon Switchblade's wings. A red streak trailed behind him as he followed the blue trail, gaining quickly on the escaping Sky Knight. A sudden burst of speed allowed the Dark Ace to get in front of Aerrow and face him, a malicious grin on his untouched face. Aerrow drew his breath, shock written across his features. _'Oh no. Great time to have no weapons Aerrow.' _he said to himself, thinking furiously for some kind of plan. Dark Ace started laughing, pointing his sword at the teen and firing shot after shot of crystal energy. Aerrow managed to dodge most of them but it was not enough. A blast hit his top left wing and he began to spiral towards a small terra. An evil laugh filled the air around him as Aerrow pulled back on the controls, desperate to pull up but he failed. He had no parachute and no glider. _'Nice knowing you Atmos. I'll just say my goodbyes before I go splat.' _he said to himself closing his eyes tightly. _'I sound like Stork' _he added as he felt the wind whipping around him. Realising there was no way he would get of this, he hoped that the end would be quick and painless.

He felt himself hit something hard and he guessed he had hit the ground. He started to black out, but as he did, he swore he could hear someone calling his voice, and a low hum accompanied it. Before he could figure out what it was, he had gone.

* * *

"Aerrow…Aerrow…" a calm voice reached the red head's ears. He groaned and slowly began to come to his senses. "Aerrow, can you hear me?". Slowly opening his eyes, he saw a clear blue sky, dotted with a few stray clouds. He moved his hands from his side so he could push himself into a sitting position, and began to take in his surroundings.

He was in the middle of a meadow, filled with white and violet flowers. Hills surrounded the horizon and the afternoon sun was shining brightly, showing everything around him. Apart from the owner of the voice. He looked around again, hoping to see someone, something. "Aerrow? Are you OK?" it said again. It was calm and soothing, and obviously belonged to a woman.

"Who are you? What do you want? Where am I?" he questioned quickly, a hand on his head and his eyes flickering open and closed. The air around him stirred and a woman began to form in front of him. All his brave instincts immediately disappeared, and was replaced by terror. "I am Amelia." the woman said gently. "I have been watching over you young one, watching you grow. I have seen you battle and fight, I have seen your squadron and I know of your love for the girl, Piper." Aerrow began to take in the details of the woman in front of him.

She had waist length, slightly wavy blonde hair and fair green eyes, just a bit darker than the boy's in front of her. A pale blue dress covered her body, leading down to her feet, nearly dragging on the ground. A silver necklace hung around her neck, a small green gem was encrusted in some metal and hung on the shimmering chain. She was slim, all her curves showing and her hands were held loosely in front of her, holding onto each other.

Taking in everything, Aerrow turned even paler than he already was. "How do I know you're not lying? And how come I've never seen you before?" he questioned, still keeping his guard up. Amelia sighed deeply and shook her head.

"Young one, do you not recognise my voice? I have been with you in your dreams…" Now that Aerrow thought about it, he did start to think her voice was very familiar. "Time is precious young one, and it is running out fast. I only have a few moments, the crystals power is weak, but you must listen to me. A great force is approaching, and it will take your most beloved possession. You must be wary young one, and keep watch over your friends, for they may be in danger. Goodbye young one, and good luck…" and with that, Amelia began to disappear again. Aerrow called her name, only to hear nothing in reply. He had so many questions that were unanswered, and they would stay that way for a long time.

Aerrow's vision began to turn black again, and he heard his name being called softly. His eyes closed, and he became lost once more.

* * *

"Aerrow, Aerrow!" Piper cried in anguish. She had returned to the Condor with Aerrow who she had caught on her heli-scooter, after she had seen his limp body falling towards a small terra. "Please…no…you can't die…" she wept, chocking on tears and sobs. It had been at least a half hour since they arrived and they were situated in the recovery room, the red headed Sky Knight lying on a bed.

His upper body was bare displaying several cuts and bruises and a long gash went down the side of his torso, still bleeding freely. His hair was a mess and it seemed darker than usual due to how pale his skin had become. His eyes were closed and his breaths were short and shallow.

Piper lifted his hand and tried desperately to find a sign of life. She let out a small sigh of relief as she found a small, weak pulse. However, moving up towards his chest, Piper found he had stopped breathing.

"Dude, I swear, if I ever get my hands on Dark Ace, I'll kill him." Finn murmured, sorrow evident in his sapphire blue eyes. All the Storm Hawks were gathered around the bed, shifting as Piper moved around it. Junko was crying silently, a bundle of tissues held tightly in one of his large hands while Stork was standing by the door, not wanting to get too close, concerned that Aerrow might have picked up some deadly disease. Radarr was perched near his master's head, his paws held tightly in front of him and a whimper escaping him every so often.

"Come on Aerrow, come back. I-we can't go on without you…" Piper whispered. Finding no reaction, she came to one conclusion. Leaning over his head, Piper held Aerrow's nose close and placed her lips on his, beginning to fill his lungs with artificial life. After a few silent minutes, Aerrow's eyes shot open, and he was able to breathe again. Piper lifted her head up and let her tears flow into a steady waterfall onto his bare chest. She hugged him tightly and cried with of relief. A cheer came around the room as the others realised what had happened. Aerrow hugged Piper back, and closed his eyes, relaxing into her tight embrace. "Don't you ever scare be again like that Aerrow." she whispered into his ear. "I don't know what I would have done."

"Piper, it's ok, I'm fine now, see? There's nothing to be scared of, we're all alive." he said back. Though he himself was a bit shaken after what had happened with this Amelia person.

"But what if-"

"But nothing. Nothing's going to happen now, I promise." he interrupted, still holding her close. He winced a bit as she increased her tightness of her hug but he ignored it. He was just happy to be back with her.

"Uh, Aerrow, Piper? Is there something we should know about?" Junko questioned. Stork was staring at the two Storm Hawks, amusement evident in his usually paranoid eyes. Finn grinned and winked at Aerrow, a small smile on his face.

"What do you mean?" Piper said, looking at each of the Storm Hawks in turn. Stork stepped forward and pointed at their current position.

"You do seem to be a bit more than friends, due to the fact that you're holding onto each other like that." After Stork finished, he too, started to grin. Radarr chirped and leapt off the bed and onto Junko's shoulder to see them both. He nodded and chattered away like mad before falling off of Junko's shoulder.

Piper pulled away and looked at Aerrow, and saw what must be done in his eyes. She nodded to him and stood up straight, wiping the tears from he face as she did so. Drawing her breath, she was just about to speak when Finn cut in. "Dude! They're like so into each other!" Piper glared at Finn, and he knew he was in trouble later. "What?" he said, a grin still on his face. The looks on the two teens faces were priceless. _'So worth it!' _he said to himself as he ran out of the room, chased by angry crystal specialist.

"Finally, you actually did it Aerrow." Junko said, smiling.

"What do you mean?" Aerrow replied in confusion.

"Oh come on, it was so obvious that you liked each other with all the blushing every time you met and the…the…uncomfortableness every time you saw each other!" he cried out.

"Junko, is right." Stork said. "Yes, it was that obvious." he added as he left the room, seeing the look of confusion still plastered on Aerrow's face.

"I'll let you get some rest buddy, Piper will be back soon to clear up those wounds. They look pretty nasty!" the wallop said, he as well following Stork out of the door. Aerrow sighed and rested his head back against the bed. He could not help but think of what Amelia had told him.

"_A great force is approaching, and it will take your most beloved possession. You must be wary young one, and keep watch over your friends, for they may be in danger." _He could not fathom out what it meant.

'_How could they be in danger, we're kicking Cyclonian butt all the time!' _he thought furiously. _'I suppose Piper is my most beloved possession but who would take her?'._ As he was thinking this, Piper entered the room, her cheeks flushed and her hair down, reflecting the light from the bulb on the ceiling. She was carrying a small bowl of water.

"Caught up with Finn then?" Aerrow asked, eyes sparkling again with their familiar shine.

"Yep, and he knows now never to do anything like that again." she replied, grinning. Aerrow chuckled and as Piper came past, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her over to the bed.

"You know, we never got to finish earlier on thanks to the Dark Ace and his rude interruption." he purred, stroking the hair out of her face. Piper pulled away with reluctance and made her way over to the cupboard. Disappointment covered Aerrow's features as she grabbed a roll of white bandages and a small pair of scissors.

"As much as I would love to carry on, you need to be bandaged up to stop that bleeding." she said as she cut of a long piece of the white fabric. She picked up the bowl of water and began to clean the large wound down his side. Aerrow gasped as the cold water touched his skin and the inside of the wound.

A little while later, the blood and dirt had been cleared and Piper began to wrap the bandages around his torso. "Piper?" he asked as she slowly worked her way up the gash. Piper stopped for a moment to look at Aerrow's face and then quickly carried on.

"Mmm?" she replied, concentrating hard on the work in hand.

"I love you." he said. She paused, and then finished the bandaging and attached it to itself. Piper stood up and leaned over Aerrow, her breath tingling on his lips with contact. A smile played on her lips as she reached closer, her hair tickling Aerrow's face.

"I love you too." she said as she brought their lips together, her blue hair falling over their faces. They felt as if they were in their own little world.


	5. Sunrise

**Yay! Chapter 5 is up! does mini dance Please keep reading and reviewing people. I need all the encouragement I can get!**

The morning sun was rising above the horizon, dousing the sky in colours of blues and yellows. The bright ball of searing heat that seemed so far away was being pulled above the line of which it would spend half of it's time, hiding. Light flooded the Atmos and it was beautiful sight.

Onboard the Condor, all was peaceful and everyone appeared to be asleep. There was a hum coming from the engine room where all the pieces of metal and countless machines were working, powered by a few hundred purple crystals. The bridge, for once, was deserted of all life, the controls on auto-pilot. The clouds parted as the small carrier ship made it's way towards the capital of the Atmos, Atmosia, for a restock on supplies. The trip to Tropica had been delayed and partially forgotten since the encounter with the Dark Ace.

The table held a few pieces of stray paper and several maps, on which there were several notes and marks which a compass and possibly a pencil had made. An empty glass stood alone on one piece of paper, acting as a paperweight. It's contents had left an orange mark on the paper, travelling all around the glass in a circle. A few drops remained at the bottom of the empty glass but that was all that was left.

The light from outside cast long shadows throughout the room, eerie shapes appearing on the walls and floor. The yellow light blanketed the room, illuminating everything that was in its reach.

All of a sudden, a loud bang emitted from somewhere else on the ship, alerting everyone onboard that a new day had begun. A few minutes later, the door to the bridge opened automatically and a tired eyed, blonde haired, sharpshooter walked in, letting out a huge yawn as he sleepily made his way over to the table. He plonked down, and rested his head on his arms, drifting in and out of his dream world. He had been woken by Radarr, the teams small co-pilot that was currently unidentified as a species, who had fallen off his masters bed and knocked over several items including books, photo frames and his masters two prized possessions, his twin daggers.

After failing trying to get back to sleep, he had decided to come to bridge, so he could regain his senses a bit. His blue eyes fluttered closed just as he heard the swoosh of the doors opening once again. Groggily, he turned around and fixed his gaze on the person that had just joined him. His vision was blurred but he could make out the mess of red hair and the muscular frame that could only belong to one person.

"Morning Finn." he yawned, his back clicking as he stretched. Finn grunted in reply, soon returning back to his previous position. The red head was only wearing a loose, grey pair of sweatpants so his upper body was bare. Aerrow sighed and walked out again towards the kitchen, leaving the wingman to gather his thoughts. He smiled to himself.

Almost one month had passed since he had fallen off his skimmer, thanks to the Dark Ace. He had several scars on his chest and arms and the long gash had nearly healed over, it also leaving a long mark. He was still grateful that Piper had been there when she had, or he may have just joined the long list of conquered Sky Knights, killed by the merciless Cyclonian talon commander.

It was now official; Piper and Aerrow had gotten together and they loved every moment of their newfound relationship. Finn had finally stopped teasing the couple, finding that it did not have the effect he expected and desired. Aerrow had been grateful for that; it had been getting on both of their nerves but they played it cool, just so Finn didn't get what he wanted.

Their relationship had been passionate and they had willingly let out that built up emotion several times when they were alone in the bridge or hangar (the hangar had quickly become their favourite spot due to having the view of the Atmos when the ramp and hanger door was down). Each moment felt like a lifetime but even to them it still felt too short.

Aerrow reached the kitchen and yawned again, still a bit sleepy. He had left Piper in his room, trying his best not to disturb her as he came out into the ship in search of food. Luckily, Piper was a deep sleeper and did not stir when Radarr accidentally tripped and crashed through many of the items littered around his room. The energetic fur ball had been awake for a long time and was all too eager to grab something to eat.

The teen paused and tried to remember what he had come here for. _Oh…food…right._ he thought, shaking his head and trying to clear all the remains of sleep from his body. He walked over to the fridge and grinned as he looked at the badly drawn picture of Dark Ace stuck on the door. Finn had done that when they had first formed the squadron. It was constantly used for target practice, evident purple stains showed that.

Aerrow yanked open the door and peered inside. There were only a few items within it's cold draws and shelves and he shivered as he rummaged through the small selection.

"Not much," he muttered under his breath. Aerrow somehow guessed that Junko or Radarr might have gotten there first. " but it will do 'till we get somewhere. Now lets see…". Carrying on his search through the draws for some edible food, he did not notice someone sneaking into the room. "Bananas…milk…Merb cabbage? Yuck, I thought we got rid of that." Aerrow swiftly shut the draw to stop any more of the foul smell escaping from the round, dark green vegetable. He grabbed the carton of milk and shut the door.

As he turned, he swore he saw a shadow move along the wall. He frowned and twisted around, checking his surroundings. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, Aerrow carried on towards the counter, running a hand through his hair at the same time. Placing the milk on the countertop, he reached down towards the cupboards and opened it. He winced as a loud, high pitched squeak emitted from the hinges. _That really needs some oil…_ he thought. Grabbing a glass, he stood back up and opened the carton. He poured what little contents it had into the glass and observed the milky, white substance as it swirled around in its solid prison.

As he finally declared the carton empty, he threw it across the room, it landing perfectly in the bin opposite the young sky knight. He smiled and turned back towards his drink. He brought the rim to his lips and felt relief as the cool liquid quenched his dry throat and parched stomach. He drained the contents of the glass quickly and set the it down with a 'clunk' on the surface near the sink. He licked his upper lip, trying to clean it as best as possible.

Suddenly, a pair of chocolate coloured arms wrapped themselves around his waist and Aerrow let out a little cry of surprise. He tensed up but then as he realised who the arms belonged to, he swiftly relaxed and calmed down. Aerrow brought his hands down to those that were currently placed on either side of his waist, and gently lifted them away.

Piper stood in behind him, her blue hair down for once and it was gently curling at the bottom. It reached just below her shoulders, framing her face. It shined in the light coming through the window and she looked glorious.

"I get you every time!" Piper giggled as Aerrow turned around and placed a kiss on her forehead. He was still holding her hands and he gently swung them as he looked at the beautiful girl in front of him, taking in every feature possible that graced her face. Aerrow gently massaged Piper's hands with his thumbs and smiled gently at her.

"Morning. How'd you sleep?" he asked, still smiling. Piper smiled back and blushed.

"I slept perfectly…having you by my side made it all the better." she replied. Piper untangled her hands and ruffled Aerrow messy hair, and she giggled. "Your hairs always a mess." Piper said as her eyes gave off a cheeky glint. "But it makes you so much cuter!"

Aerrow growled playfully and stroked her face. Piper purred in response before she wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled his face close. She stopped when they were literally millimetres away from each other and grinned when she heard a small whine come from Aerrow. Piper teasingly held him there, as Aerrow put on his puppy eyes begging for that one thing.

"You could never wait Aerrow!" she whispered as she closed the space between them.

Aerrow captured her lips with his, savouring every moment of their tantalizing kiss. He gently ran his tongue along her bottom lip, silently begging for entrance. She willingly accepted and Piper moaned as she felt Aerrow's tongue explore every crevice in her mouth. He shuddered with pleasure when she ran her fingers through his wind swept hair and she shivered with excitement when he rubbed her waist, pulling her in closer.

Their bodies were pushed up against each other so there was no space in between them and they seemed to melt into one another. They suddenly heard a wolf whistle from the doorway. Pulling away, they turned towards the voice.

"Bit early for that, don't you think?" a voice said from the porch. Finn stood there, a smirk plastered on his face and his arms folded. He was more awake now than he was earlier on. The sharpshooter was taking in every detail of the scene in front of him and he winked at Aerrow, giving him the 'chica-cha' pose.

"Never to early Finn, thought you would know that by now." Aerrow joked, wrapping his arms around Piper's waist and pulling her close. He placed his chin on top of her head and breathed in the scent of her hair. It was soft and silky and smelled like heaven. Finn rolled his eyes and walked away, muttering under his breath.

Piper let out a small giggle while Aerrow chuckled slightly. Piper snuggled into Aerrow, and he just held her tighter than ever. Even though it had been one month and nothing out of the ordinary had happened, he couldn't help but still be a bit agitated about Amelia and what she said. He wasn't going to let anyone harm her…_ever._


	6. Ice

The night was as darker blue as it could be, and each individual star shined brightly in the cloudless sky of the Atmos. A white circle hung, suspended in the night sky, illuminating all that stood in it's path of silvery light. Reflected by the moon was a small carrier ship, the metal hull glittering in the moonlight.

The engines were cut, and the silent bird was hanging in the sky, only the odd light still on. A barely audible hum came from the engine room but other than that, there was nothing else that could be heard. The corridors seemed empty, and there was a chill that had seemed to settle on everything in the ship.

Suddenly there was a swish as a door down the hall opened, and a wet, red headed Storm Hawk emerged from the room. He quickly turned off the light, and made his way down the corridor to his quarters, using his senses to guide him along as it was so dark.

Another swish, and the hall was empty once more, or so it seemed. The shadows seemed to move and form into shapes, rising and falling, shifting and morphing and in the blink of an eye, it had stopped.

Aerrow quietly crept into his room, trying not to wake Piper or Radarr from their slumber. He wore a loose pair of grey trousers and a baggy, plain white t-shirt that was clearly a bit big for him. The sleeves reached just above his elbows and the bottom of the shirt ended just at the top of his thighs. Fist thoughts were that it was probably borrowed from Junko.

His red hair was damp and glossy, sticking slightly to his head but most of it going haywire in different directions. In one hand, Aerrow tightly held a large, green towel which was wrapped into a bundle and in the other, his dirty uniform that was covered in mud and filth.

Tossing the red and blue material in a corner, he used his now free hand to quickly give his hair a dry with the already soaking wet towel. He dried frantically, his arms and hands in a blur as they did their job.

Satisfied, Aerrow threw the towel into the corner, it now joining the slowly dampening uniform as the towel gradually dripped droplets of water on to it. A few fell onto the floor and created a small puddle, a miniscule pond or lake with a few bits of dirt and dust revolving around, trapped in it's transparent walls.

He pulled off his shirt, revealing a well toned torso and tanned body, obviously from spending a lot of time on Tropica. He carelessly tossed the shirt into the steadily growing pile of dirty and wet clothing and proceeded to slowly walk towards his bed.

The young sky knight stretched by arching his back like a cat and yawned, a high pitched noise gradually getting lower escaping from far down in his throat. For a boy, he was surprisingly flexible when it came to stretching and fighting, it was how he could evade many of his opponents seemingly unavoidable attacks.

Aerrow reached up as far as he could with his arms and listened almost absentmindedly as the bones in his back clicked, one by one. He winced as he felt a painful jolt after one particularly loud crack. Freezing for a second, he tested his back bones to make sure he hadn't damaged them in any way.

Concluding that he hadn't hurt himself, Aerrow sighed and lowered his arms down to his side while rubbing his eyes with his hands, trying to prevent the world of sleep from overtaking his mind.

He blinked and his green eyes took in his surroundings, flicking backwards and forwards as they adjusted to the dim light. Only the moon's light was able to reach into the room, the door bring shut and the curtains not yet drawn. Aerrow's eyes reflected the white light, giving them that glint that made his eyes sparkle.

His gaze fell upon the sleeping beauty that lay on his bed. The duvet covered the bottom half of her still body and she lay on her side facing Aerrow. Her arms were folded tightly in towards her body, and she was curled up in an almost kind of foetus position. You could see the impression of her body through the thin piece of material, it rose and fell with every breath she took.

Piper was quiet when she slept, only the gentle sound of her breathing could be heard by the Storm Hawks ears. Her hair was loose, framing her face with midnight blue locks of slightly wavy hair. It shone in the moonlight, illuminating her face and all her graceful features.

Even though her eyes were closed, Aerrow could still imagine her bright, tangerine orbs gazing up at him, filled with joy and life. Her lips were slightly parted and her cheeks had gained a slightly rosy glow to them, only showing a bit due to the darkness of her chocolate coloured skin and the lack of light.

The Sky Knight was caught in a trance, watching his love's every move. Every breath, twitch and movement was noticed by the observant and hypnotised hawk. He was lost in his own world as he lingered on the brink of sleep.

He thought and daydreamed about his girl, twirling her around and holding her delicate frame in his arms, feeling the heat from her body become a part of his. Her laugh made his stomach flip and somersault.

He thought about snuggling up close to her sleeping form and caressing her body, his arms wrapped around her petit waist while his chin lay in the crook of her neck. Just the thought of being able to feel her soft skin against his own made him shiver with pleasure.

Whenever he thought of her, a flush always came to his cheeks and he started to grin like a mad man, well, most men who are in love usually act like they are mad. Aerrow sighed in contempt before moving closer to the bed, never moving his eyes away from Piper.

He was reluctantly jerked out of his state when he heard a bang come from somewhere deep inside the ship. Aerrow's eyes darted around the room, and for once, he felt this might not be the usual intruder. His warrior instincts taking over, he leapt up and grabbed his twin blades, quickly twirling them before holding them tight.

Aerrow faced the door and made his way towards it, but then he paused and silently ran back to Piper. He planted a small kiss on her forehead before walking calmly back towards the hall and entering the darkness beyond.

It was unusually cold that night, and Aerrow shivered as he proceeded further down the seemingly endless corridor. His silent footsteps seemed as loud as earthquakes, reverberating off the walls and his breathing became faster and deeper. Clouds of steam wafted in front of his face before quickly clearing and it took the teenager a moment to realise he was producing them.

He heard another bang, along with a few smashes accompanying it, and weather it was because of fright or just because of the cold, Aerrow felt more scared than he had ever felt before. All of this, the cold, the darkness, the odd bangs and crashes, it just didn't make sense. Even Junko didn't make that much noise when he got up for a midnight snack. No, this wasn't a crew member, in Aerrow's mind, it was something bigger, an intruder, possibly a sneak attack made by the enemies.

But even the Cyclonians wouldn't make this much noise. Hell, they weren't good at attacking during daylight or doing aerial combat but one of their strengths were sneak attacks. That ruled out that possibility.

Rogues? Not likely. What on earth would they want with a bunch of teenagers whose Sky Knight was only as measly fourteen years of age? And it wasn't like they had treasures or riches or crystals on board. That disposed of the Pirate theory as well.

A particularly loud smash emitted from the closed door just to the left of the trembling teenager. His breath now came in bigger clouds of condensing vapour and it felt as if his heart was leaping out of his chest at least five times a second.

Aerrow stopped, the hairs on the back of his neck prickling as if something was watching him. He froze and began to turn around, his breathing ragged and coming at uneven intervals. His eyes were darting everywhere, trying to detect some form of movement. Cold sweat started to form all over his face, back and torso, a slick sheen of damp moisture slowly taking over his body.

The young teen was suddenly aware of a presence behind him, and the vibe he caught of the being was not good. It was filled with hate and long gone sins that could never be forgiven. He started when he felt something cold form on his shoulder, becoming more uncomfortable the longer it stayed there for.

Reluctantly, Aerrow lifted his hand up to his shoulder, to try and identify the strange substance that was now making his shoulder feel numb. His ribcage felt as if it were about to burst open as he finally made contact with the mysterious element.

He stopped.

It was…ice? The sky knight became confused. He was sure it was some kind of liquid that had dripped on to him. It had started to dribble from his shoulder down onto his torso. He felt his shoulder to again just to make sure it really was ice.

There was no mistaking it, it was definitely ice. Cold, solid and slightly wet.

Aerrow brought his hand back down in front of him and stared at it in bewilderment. He was almost lost in the mystery until a movement on one of the walls caught his attention. He looked up towards his dark shadow, and his eyes widened as he saw what was behind it.

A towering shadow, at least twice as high as the form in front was leaning over the stunned teenager. It's silhouette did not resemble that of a human form; it was forever changing shape. However, there were several things that didn't.

Two stubby horns on top of the creature remained still while the ever changing mass which was it's body kept morphing. It's mouth was wide open and it's shadow displayed a set of long, razor sharp, deadly teeth that could spill blood at the lightest touch.

The boy couldn't figure out what the monster was, it just kept on changing too fast for his mind to even register.

A deep roar that sent shockwaves right through Aerrow emitted from the creatures throat. The sky knight came back to his senses and just reacted at the right time.

The creature had pounced forward, forming two hands with claws that matched the deadliness of it's teeth, and had attempted to kill Aerrow on the spot. Luckily, the teen managed to duck and roll out of the way just as the claws of the beast sunk into the solid metal plated floor of the condor.

For the first time, Aerrow managed to see his attacker. He gasped in horror and froze. His mouth hung open as he took in the details of the form in front of him. His throat closed up and his eyes began to sting as he tried to squeeze out one barely audible word.

"…Dad?"

**Yes, I know, rubbish cliff hanger but I didn't know what else to do. Damn writers block. I've been so busy that I can't even think clearly! Poor me…anyway. I know I haven't updated either of these stories in a long time so I'm really sorry. I am going to start on the next 'Confusion' chapter soon so hang in there! Sorry that this chapter isn't that long but I was really stuck for ideas…thanks for all the reviews I've been getting and keep them rolling in!**


	7. NOTICE!

**Sorry, this isn't an update, just a small notice that I had the time to post in the busy hours of my life…whatever.**

**Anyway, as DevilsAngelSaphire pointed out in one of the reviews, Aerrow and Piper are not fourteen. This story takes place about four years after the Storm Hawks first started, therefore, Aerrow and Piper being eighteen, Finn nineteen, Junko twenty and Stork twenty five.**

**Thanks for letting me know DevilsAngelSaphire, I hope to start on the next chapter soon so please don't give up on me yet! **

**Thanks, BlueSapphireGirl x**


	8. The Opula Stone

Aerrow's eyes twitched, and his mouth fell open in confusion. He looked at the person standing in front of him. There was no denying it; the same messy red mop of hair, the same sparkling green eyes and the same smile. He matched ever single one of his photos that Aerrow had ever kept.

"Son. It's me…your father." the man said gently. Aerrow wanted to believe it, his mind wanted him to go over and hug him, but in his heart, he felt something wasn't right.

"No…" he croaked. "You're dead. You died when the Dark Ace killed you." Tears sprung to the boys eyes as he said this. The man took one step closer to Aerrow, and Aerrow took one back.

"I am not dead, I'm alive, in flesh and blood. Son, come over here." The man held out his arms, gesturing for Aerrow to come over while forever approaching him. The Sky Knight's grip on his weapons tightened, and he came to a standstill.

"Stay back." he said loud enough for his voice to be carried down the hall. He began to walk towards the man, anger taking over his expressions. "YOU'RE NOT MY DAD!!" Aerrow screamed, taking the final sprint and lashing out with his dagger. Fuelled by the adrenaline going round his system, he lifted up his right ignited dagger and brought it down diagonally across the intruder's chest.

A black ink oozed out of the wound, and accompanying it was an ear splitting cry that was emitting from the persons throat. Aerrow fell to the ground, sweat covering his body and rolling down his forehead. He closed his eyes as tightly as possible while feebly bringing his empty hands up to shield his ears.

Aerrow's daggers lay on either side of the boy, forgotten. Uncontrollable chills travelled up his body, and he lost control of his nervous system as his arms and legs went into a series of overpowering spasms. As he opened his eyes, he saw the person he saw as his father twist and morph, form and change into a different type of creature altogether. A few seconds after the transfiguration began, it had finished. Before the young Sky Knight was a creature that only terror could describe.

Fear seemed to take control of the air around it, and a chill that froze the ground underneath it and the walls on either side of it ran with the being too. Scrambling to his feet, he reached for his twin daggers and faced the hideous monster. He was still shaking, not of coldness, but of alarm and distress.

Aerrow began to wonder how the thing got here in the first place. It must have come with a purpose, had it not? He finally regained control of his body, and put himself into a fighting stance, ready to attack if needs be.

He then realized that where he had attacked the creature and had left a definite wound, it was like nothing was ever there. There was just a cloud of dark gas in the area that had once had some form of liquid coming out of it. Aerrow's gaze was drawn to the floor below, and he saw the black ink spread all over the place, except, it wasn't running or still moving; it had frozen.

They stayed opposite each other for what seemed like a lifetime, green orbs staring into what would be black depths. Aerrow's chest rose and fell faster, his heart beat quickening and becoming louder. He could hear it in his ears. Sweat glistened on his chest and dampened his hair, making it stick to his head even more than it already was.

Without warning, black started to take over the boy's sight and he blindly walked backwards, stumbling over his own feet. It seemed to grow, starting from the corners and making it's way into the middle. He looked left and right, wondering what on earth was going on.

Aerrow remembered seeing the creature approaching him, but before his vision was entirely blacked out, he remembered seeing a bright light, and the silhouette of a woman. She seemed to be defending the boy. But by the time that the light had died down and he would have been able to have seen his protector, Aerrow was already unconscious.

* * *

From the throne room of the dark citadel, you could hear almost anything that was going on around, weather it be the footsteps of a passing talon, the Cyclonian squadrons taking flight or even the high commanders training and sparring.

Inside the throne room, was one person, a young girl shrouded in mystery and night. Her purple hood covered her head and covered her face in shadow. She was deep in thought, and things were troubling her deeply.

Her fingers almost naturally ran along the huge keyboard in front of her, clicks echoing around the huge stone room. The metal arms of the contraption above her moved in synchronization with the commands she entered into the machine. Sparks and light were sent out from this little object held in the claws of one of the arms. It was night purple in colour, and it's surface was jagged and scarred. It didn't seem to reflect any light at all, it was dull and seemed pretty useless.

A pair of footsteps coming up the corridor outside the throne room distracted the girl from her work, she paused and brought her hands behind her back, locking them together in a polite manner. The footsteps she recognised well, she heard them almost all the time.

She heard the creak of the huge doors as they swung back on their metal hinges. The footsteps became louder and closer, until they stopped just a few feet away from her.

"Master." The Dark Ace said loudly, putting his hand over his heart and bowing slightly to show his respect for her. She could feel his red eyes running over her back, trying to gain her attention.

"The Dark Ace. I trust your mission went as planned? I hope it wasn't like the last time you encountered the boy. You were supposed to kill him, but he survived, did he not?" Master Cyclonis said flatly, displaying no emotion. She still faced her contraption, staring at the small crystal in the machine.

"You know I left him for dead Master, he fell from over two thousand feet in the air. I still don't know how he survived." he replied, gazing at Cyclonis' back. He dared not move, in case of angering her. He hadn't completed the mission, and he knew he had to accept what was going to come.

"That wasn't my question Dark Ace, did you complete the mission, or did you not?" she asked again, anger beginning to flare in her voice.

"There were some…complications that I did not know of."

"What about the boy?"

"He still lives."

Silence covered the room like a thick blanket and tension began to weave around the pair. Silence with Master Cyclonis was sometimes worse than facing her anger itself. Dark Ace stood as still as a statue and found it wisest to wait for Master Cyclonis to make the first move.

"How long must it take Dark Ace, how long? I forgave you when you were beaten by that interceptor on the day that could have changed the world, you have been beaten by this same Sky Knight over and over again! I would question your loyalty to me if you don't get rid of the Storm Hawks soon!" she raged, turning around to face the Cyclonian Champion.

"I would never question my loyalty to you, you are my Master, I live to serve you and only you." he replied coolly, his crimson eyes connecting with her violet ones.

"What of the weapon." she whispered.

"In the dungeon."

"Good. I have finally figured out how to control the beast by the use of crystals." Dark Ace's ears perked up as he heard this piece of information. He silently willed her to go on. "I only finished this a few moments ago."

Turning around, she pushed one of the many keys and the hand holding the crystal came down in front of her. She brought up her own pale hand a plucked it from the machine's grasp. She turned around to face her servant again and the hand withdrew itself back up to it's previous position.

Holding it up, she stared at it whilst beginning to talk to the commander. "It's a Opula stone. I created it myself and there is now only one in the whole of Atmos. It's a combination of many different crystals, all carefully stabilized and then melded together at a whole range of temperatures.

"I am trusting you with it. Lose it and you will face the consequences. It took many days and nights to perfect something like this, and I don't want all the hard work to be banished just because some lousy talon dropped it into the wastelands. Am I clear?" she asked fiercely.

"Yes Master. It is safe with me." he replied, trying to hide the excitement in his voice.

"I should hope so. Report to me when the job is done. Take Ravess and Snipe with you this time, I will have no mistakes." she hissed. The Dark Ace nodded briskly and bowed with his hand over his heart before turning and making his way out the door.

Master Cyclonis turned around again and looked up at the ceiling. She would rule the Atmos, and when that day would finally come, the world would change forever.


End file.
